Policy Pulse: AIANY Launches New Civic Leadership Program

AIA New York has launched a new initiative to cultivate and train the next generation of civic leaders in our profession. Conceived by the AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee, the Civic Leadership Program (CLP) will develop an inaugural class of emerging professionals into astute advocates on issues that impact their profession, community, and themselves.

The six-month program consists of five half-day sessions and two public events attended by a competitively selected group of 10 emerging professionals. The sessions and public events will benefit architects who aim to operate in the public realm as well as those who may one day consider a career in public service or elected office.Participants’ improvements in public speaking; communications; community outreach; dynamics of governmental institutions and policy processes; constituent consensus building; and the techniques, purposes and contexts of civic engagement will be emphasized.

The curriculum focuses on relevant issues ranging from major land use and public space debates, public development and infrastructure projects, sustainability and resilience initiatives, public interest design, public funding mechanisms as well as the interplay of local, state and national politics. The ten participants will pair off after selecting their topic of interest. Each pair will then plan and host one of the five monthly development sessions and will regroup to develop one of two public forum events at the Center for Architecture.

This program will have AIA CES credit made available for its participants; a total of 32 CEU’s will be provided. Prospective participants must go through an application process for selection, where their relevant experience, interest in advocacy issues, and employer support will be considered.

Interested applicants can join the AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee for a happy hour event from 6-8pm at the Center for Architecture on 05.04.17 to learn more.

On 05.05.17, AIANY hosts NYC Department of Buildings Commissioner Chandler at the Center for Architecture from 9-10am. Topics to be discussed include DOB achievements, DOB NOW, Project Guidelines, as well as new initiatives and next steps. In addition, the commissioner will address what changes have taken place as a result of DOB’s many meetings with AIANY architects. There will also be opportunities to ask questions. Interested members may register here.

On 05.19.17, AIANY hosts NYC Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Peña-Mora at the Center for Architecture from 9-10am. Topics to be discussed include recent DDC achievements, DDC capital program, Design and Construction Excellence 2.0, Guiding Principles and Handbooks, as well as new initiatives and next steps. There will also be opportunities to ask questions. Interested members may register here.

On 04.19.17, Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed Janno Lieber, an executive at Silverstein Properties who led that firm’s rebuilding efforts at the World Trade Center, to the new position of chief development officer at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Lieber will oversee major infrastructure projects, including a one-seat rail link to Kennedy airport and a modernization of the subway’s signal system.

On 04.27.17, Mayor de Blasio released a $84.86 billion executive budget for fiscal year 2018. The proposed budget includes $1.9 billion for low-income housing, more than $1 billion for new jail facilities, and a $700 million spending increase for city agencies. Continue here to view the FY18 Executive Budget.

04.24.17, New York City unveiled its annual OneNYC Progress report, showing substantial progress on the vast majority of its sustainability and resiliency goals over last year. The report notes the initiatives undertaken since OneNYC was announced in 2015 and upcoming work to stay on track to meet those long-term goals such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

On 4.28.17, The Office of Recovery and Resiliency released a series of preliminary guidelines that incorporate potential climate impacts into the design and construction of city projects. The first of their kind in the nation, the city laid out the series of design principles based on projections of the New York City Panel on Climate Change, which predicts mean annual temperature to rise by as much as 6.6 degrees by 2050 and sea levels to rise by 11 to 21 inches in the same time.

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